Independent Researcher at Freie Universität Berlin
Berlin Area, Germany
- Current
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- Independent Researcher at Freie Universität Berlin
- Past
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- Postdoctoral researcher at University of Texas, Houston
- Graduate Student at Universität Würzburg
- Education
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- Bayerische Julius-Maximiliaus-Universität Würzburg
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Bjoern Brembs’s Summary
My main research topics focus around the general organization of behavior with regards to reward, punishment and decision making: How do brains accomplish adaptive behavioral choice? All animals possess a repertoire of inborn behaviors and continuously modify and adjust them to meet the requirements of the environment by learning. To study these processes, I use operant (instrumental) conditioning paradigms and contrast them with classical (Pavlovian) conditioning situations in flies (Drosophila) and snails (Aplysia). Such comparisons highlight the differences and similarities between behavioral and environmental learning, the two forms of predictive learning.
After now 10 years of research in this field, I begin to have the suspicion that the main function of brains may be best described in terms of output/input systems. Brains generate spontaneous behavior and monitor the incoming sensory stream for the portion which is controlled by the behavior. Operant behavior and operant learning are the main mechanisms by which this function is accomplished.
Related past research interests include the neurobiology of aggression, behavioral ecology, the evolution of cooperation and evolutionary psychology.
Bjoern Brembs’s Specialties:
Methods used include a number behavioral paradigms in various invertebrate and vertebrate model systems, in vitro conditioning of isolated nervous systems, opto- and electrophysiology, mutants/transgenes, molecular biology and some pharmacology. Computer modeling of simple networks complements the experimental work.
Bjoern Brembs’s Experience
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Independent Researcher
Freie Universität Berlin
(Research industry)
December 2003 — Present (4 years 6 months)
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Postdoctoral researcher
University of Texas, Houston
(Educational Institution; 10,001 or more employees; Research industry)
April 2000 — December 2003 (3 years 9 months)
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Graduate Student
Universität Würzburg
(Educational Institution; 10,001 or more employees; Research industry)
October 1996 — March 2000 (3 years 6 months)
Bjoern Brembs’s Education
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Bayerische Julius-Maximiliaus-Universität Würzburg
1991 — 2000
Additional Information
Bjoern Brembs’s Websites:
Bjoern Brembs’s Groups:
Texas Stars, TG Würzburg, USA team handball
Bjoern Brembs’s Contact Settings
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